Nintendo Switch Exceeding GameStop's Expectations

GameStop received a new allocation of Nintendo Switch units last week for the launch of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but if you didn't act quickly, you might not have gotten one. Merchandising director Eric Bright told Forbes in a new interview that the console is exceeding the company's expectations.

"We knew it would be a high-demand product, but our Switch allocations are selling out not in days, but in hours...the demand is so high that consumers have to react quickly to be able to get their hands on them," Bright said.

GameStop did not provide any specifics on Switch unit sales or what its expectations were to begin with. Whatever the case, it's no surprise that system is off to a hot start, as Nintendo said the hybrid system is the fastest-selling console in Nintendo's history.

"Right now we're not seeing sales going down at all, and I would expect that to continue for quite some time," Bright said.

Last week, Nintendo announced that Switch sales amounted to 2.74 million units for the period ended March 31. Before that, Nintendo had said it expected to ship 2 million units of the Switch globally during March, so the actual sales are pacing well ahead of that.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's release likely had led to an uptick in Switch hardware sales, considering the Mario Kart series is massively popular and Nintendo has been promoting the game significantly.

For more on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, check out GameSpot's review.